Tim MacDonald, President – Ideal Supply

Tim MacDonald joined his family’s business, Ideal Supply, as a full-time employee in 1981. He worked in multiple branch locations, starting on the counter before progressing through various management positions. He has served as president for the past 25 years.

An Ontario full-line supply electrical distributor, Ideal Supply offers inventory for the industrial, safety, electrical, new energy, automation, and data comm sectors. They are also NAPA’s largest auto parts distributor in Canada.

MacDonald, along with his brother and sister, made the decision to sell the business in 2016 to Groupe Deschenes Inc, “another great Canadian family led business,” he commented, “I stayed on as president and continue to enjoy my role.”

The company, founded in 1926, began as a manufacturer for bread-moulding machines. The company evolved over the years and began transitioning into its modern form after being purchased by John H. MacDonald in 1968.  John Sr. would expand the company’s automotive offering and branched into electrical supplies for contractors and industry, while shifting from retail towards wholesale. Headquartered in Listowel, Ideal Supply now has 32 branches across Ontario.

In our interview with Tim MacDonald, he discussed how AD Rewards impacts their sales approach and how AD has contributed to Ideal Supply’s growth.

How has your involvement in AD Rewards helped you to enhance customer relationships, grow sales, and ultimately grow your business?

The AD Rewards program builds awareness of our AD Vendor Partners as our sales staff (inside & outside) help our customers earn rewards. Our customers have come to recognize that they can earn AD Rewards through their everyday purchases if they choose products from AD Vendors. When this becomes part of our daily selling culture at the counter, everyone benefits! Our annual purchases from AD Vendors always lead all other vendor purchases.

What are the key elements of the AD Rewards program for your company? 

It is important that everyone is aware of the AD Rewards program so that they can promote it to customers. Our Branch staff makes sure AD Rewards promotional signage is visible at the counter to prompt conversations, and that products from AD Vendors are available and on display. Our AD partners have always had an advantage at Ideal Supply as we create annual plans to grow our business together.

Our Marketing Coordinator, Peter Mackie uses all of the AD Rewards tools available to drive our performance with the program, and Inside Rewards brings it all together when our Branch Staff can benefit also with the growth of our AD lines.

What does organizations like AD add to your business and the industry in general? How has your company benefitted from your AD membership?

Our membership in AD has been a key component to our growth throughout the years that we have been a member. We have learned marketing and management strategies that have helped us grow our top and bottom lines. AD Members are the most professional and forward-thinking distributors in Canada and the United States. Together we challenge each other to be the best supplier to our customers, the best employers to our staff, and the best channel to market for our suppliers.